title: Promoting tobacco cessation via the workplace: opportunities for improvement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little research exists on the prevalence of evidence-based tobacco cessation practices in workplaces, employer promotion of state-sponsored quitlines and predictors of these practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis of the 2008 Healthy Worksite Survey, a telephone survey administered to Washington employers with 50 or more employees (n=693). The objectives were to describe workplaces' implementation of evidence-based tobacco cessation practices and identify key predictors of implementation in order to highlight opportunities for interventions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among these employers, 38.6% promoted quitting tobacco, and 33.8% offered insurance coverage for cessation medications and counselling, 27.5% referred no-smoking violators to cessation services, and 5.7% included the state-sponsored quitline in health promotion messages. Larger workplaces and workplaces with a wellness staff, committee or coordinator had greater insurance coverage for tobacco cessation, communications promoting tobacco cessation, and promotion of the state-sponsored quitline (p<0.01). Workplaces with a wellness staff, committee or coordinator referred more violators of no-smoking policies to cessation services (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Washington State workplaces do little to promote tobacco cessation by their employees. The lack of tobacco cessation promoting practices at small businesses, restaurants and bars, and businesses without wellness personnel indicates an opportunity for finding and reaching current smokers at businesses with limited resources. By adopting inexpensive prevention efforts, such as promoting the state-sponsored tobacco cessation quitline, employers can help employees quit smoking and, thereby, assist in improving employee health and lower medical costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services, The University of Washington, Box 354804, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. mchughes@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: M Courtney
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Emily M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Yette
authors.forename: Peggy A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Nguyet M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Terry R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014861:Washington; D017132:Workplace